A young lifesaver is the pride of East Hampshire after receiving a national accolade from a Scout bigwig at special ceremony.

Cameron Bellis is renowned for being prepared as the nine-year-old from 1st Headley Scouts saved a diner from choking during a family outing to Dorset last year.

But the ten-year-old from Lindford was left shocked and surprised when he was presented with an Unsung Hero Award by chief scout, Dwayne Fields, for his holiday heroics.

Cameron received the award during a special ceremony at the Gilwell Park home of the Scouts near Waltham Abbey on Friday, May 9.

The winners “represent the best of the community” and typically receive the award for “outstanding bravery and selflessness.”

The Lindford youngster is in esteemed company as 20 young scouts were selected from more than 100 nominations – and that’s out of 475,000 scouts in the UK.

The audience heard that a “cool and calm” Cameron saved someone’s life during a February 2024 half term visit to a Poole restaurant when he witnessed a diner choking at a nearby table.

He put the first aid skills he learned at the scouts into practice by calming relatives and instigating lifesaving measures.

“Cameron remembered the skills he learned from his time in Beaver Scouts,” said Mr Fields, in commending the young winner.

“He became aware that an elderly lady at a nearby table was choking. All of the adults around the table were panicking but Cameron was calm, cool and collected.

“He calmly went over to the family, calmed them down and talked them through what to do.

“He advised the adults to use the palm of their hand and hit her sharply on the back – they listened and the result was that the piece of meat was dislodged from her mouth.”

Cameron’s mother, Sarah-Jane was away from the table ordering food and was not aware of her son’s heroics until returning.

Needless to say, she is very proud of her young lifesaver but the nomination took Cameron by surprise.

“Do I deserve it?” said the “shocked and humbled” Cameron when he learned he was going to be one of Dwayne’s heroes.

The award is not the first that Cameron has received for his lifesaving efforts as he was named ‘Outstanding Young Person’ at the Whitehill & Bordon Community Awards in March.

The UHA that Cameron received at Gilwell Park is a coveted personal achievement which recognises the amazing skills and endeavours of young people across the Scout community from Squirrels to Explorers.

The winners ranged in age from five to 20 and were nominated by Scout volunteers for their outstanding bravery and leadership and for showing supreme skills and qualities.

Winners were chosen by an experienced panel of Scout Ambassadors headed by Mr Fields, with their inspiring stories and incredible deeds of the recipients impressing the chief.

He said: “Being part of the Scouts provides young people with skills they take through life and the stories of these young people represent the highest form of Scouting values.”